Love And War Bk. 03

When he collapsed on top of her, she stroked his hair as his head lay on her breasts. She felt so full with him inside her. She didn't want to move and break the bliss they both shared. "Stay with me tonight, baby," she said in a whisper.

"I will stay with you as long as you want me to, Mae," he replied. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby," she said as she smiled. She wrapped her legs around him, holding him inside her as his hard cock still throbbed after coming.

They made love four more times that night, trying different positions, but ending the way they had begun, with him on top of her and her legs around him. When Mae finally fell asleep, he stroked her hair away from her face and kissed her lips lovingly just as sleep took him as well.

*****

When Jason and Delaara got back with Alex and Jenny, they were worn out from patrolling. Charlie Scorp and Charlie Stiletto had taken their spots and it was nearly morning. "Graveyard shift sucks," Alex said.

Jason laughed. "You're learning quickly, young one." The Nimitz had been launching patrols for 3 days straight and no sign of the Orions on any of them.

"Welcome to peacetime operations, Razor," said Jenny with a wink.

Alex smiled at her. "You're the only reason I enjoyed myself at all out there, Gem." He leaned down and kissed her.

"Ok, you two. Hit the showers and get some sleep. Preferably together, to conserve energy and share body heat, of course," said Delaara with a knowing smile.

Alex and Jenny blushed and laughed as they headed for their quarters.

"Well, hotshot. It's just you and me now," she said, slipping her arms around his neck and kissing her husband softly.

"Mmmmmmmmmm yes indeed, my lovely wife," he replied as they broke the kiss.

"Whatever shall we do, baby?" She asked in her best Scarlet O'Hara impression. Yet another reason to kick Bounce's ass whenever Jason could remember to do so. His insanely large collection of 20th and early 21st century flatvid movies was so huge, he had to have an entire foot locker to haul them around when he got assigned a new duty station. Delaara, in an effort to learn more about Human culture, had borrowed quite a few of them and watched them with Jason during their downtime... including 'Gone With the Wind' and 'Top Gun'.

"Hmmmm. Let me think a moment..." Jason had an idea, since they had never done it before. He picked her up and hit the crew door on his Valkyrie. He winked at her and she got a naughty grin on her face.

"Want to relive that time in the wreck on the island, hotshot?" She asked.

"Well, for lack of a better term, I believe that 'oh hell yes' applies here", he said with a wink as he stepped into the Valkyrie's crew cabin with Delaara in his arms. The door closed behind them, but their moans and screams of pleasure could be heard throughout the hangar by anyone walking past.

*****

An hour later, they opened the crew cabin and were met by the Skulls, who were all clapping and cheering their Lead and Two. Jason and Delaara, smiling ear to ear already, just took a bow and exited the fighter.

Rash led the charge. "Hey, guys. We heard something strange around here and thought we'd come up and investigate."

"Yeah, there was some sort of time/space distortion that sent some strange sounds into my Valkyrie, so we had to go investigate. We were transported to a strange land where every tree was made of cotton candy," Jason said with a completely straight face. "We've returned and the breach has been sealed!" He threw his fists into the air, and his people laughed and clapped for their 'heroics'.

Rash just looked at them and said "You know, that's too damn freakin' crazy to be a lie. I believe you." He then got a haunted look on his face, turned around, and walked quickly towards the turbolift. Every other Skull there was left scratching their heads.

Delaara leaned into his ear and whispered "Baby, that was just mean. I loved it." and kissed his bearded cheek. Jason just smiled.

*****

When Rash got to Rachael's Ready Room, he still had that haunted look on his face.

She looked up from her desk. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Just something that Jason said up in the hangar. A few of us were walking by when we heard strange sounds coming from the inside of Jason's Valkyrie, so we waited for about a half hour. The hatch lowers, and Jason is standing there with Delaara." Rash then related Jason's story about what happened. "But from the sounds, we were sure they were fucking in there."

Rachael had needed a good laugh, and this was a keeper. She laughed so hard she peed herself a little bit, and had tears streaming down her face by the time she was able to talk again.

"Oh God, I needed that!" She said, finally, still wiping tears from her face. "Ryan, my darling husband, that bloody wanker took you all for a ride! Jason and Delaara told me about making love in the back of Jason's wreck when they were on the island together. 5 will get you 10 that they wanted to relive that experience." She winked.

Ryan shrugged. "It was still a damn good story," he grinned.

"Ohhh, you have no idea, flyboy." She grabbed him and kissed him hard.

*****

The patrols continued. Day 7 and 8 went by with no incident. With Nimitz in polar orbit and flights of the best fighter pilots in the galaxy circling the planet day and night, there really was nothing any pirates could have done to get through. On Day 9, Rachael called a halt to the patrols, but Nimitz would remain on station for the time being.

Doc Tavolk and Dr. Siln both showed up to Medical that morning with smiles on their faces. Doc's was a very faint smile of satisfaction, while Mae's smile was one of pure joy. Doc noted the day and sent for Captain Thatcher for her 4 month pregnancy checkup. When she arrived, Doc examined her, and while her stress levels had been very elevated, the baby was fine. However, he was prescribing her with 7 days of shore leave on Risa, starting immediately, and also prescribing 7 days for Ryan, who also needed a break from both being a father to be and a fighter pilot.

Rachael looked grateful, and notified first Rash, then Marie that she would be in command for a week.

When Marie heard the news, she thought about all the times she had heard of Ryan and Rachael doing stuff in her Ready Room, and was contemplating bringing Bounce up to see her there while she was Captain. Then she got a text message on her console that read:

'Don't even think about it, Marie.

You had better not fuck Bounce on

my desk. If I find anything out of

place, I will shove you both out an

airlock.'

Love,

Rachael.

XOXOXOXO

Her eyes grew wide, then she saw:

'I'm the bloody captain for a reason,

missy. I get paid to know everything.'

Love,

Rachael.

XOXOXOXO

"Oh my God, she's fucking psychic." Marie was spooked.

*****

Jason and Delaara heard about the vacation and smiled. The Captain and her husband really did need a break from shipboard life. When Delaara had gone for her six month check-up that morning, she was stunned to find Dr. Siln laughing and joking with another patient. Her usual reserved self was gone, and she had blossomed to the point where Delaara was about to ask her where the real Mae was and what had she done with her.

Mae saw the look in her eyes and said "Come on in, Commander. We were just finishing up." She turned to her patient. "Ok, Lieutenant. Just take two of this every 4 hours, and you should be fine in a day or two. Have a good day, and get better soon."

As the young female Lieutenant left, Delaara asked her what was going on.

"Well, Commander, if you must know, Steve and I are living together now," she grinned.

"Forgive me, Mae. But just a little over a week ago, you were so shy, that nobody could talk to you. What changed?" Delaara was curious and not a little bit pleasantly surprised by the change in Dr. Siln's demeanor.

Mae moved to the door, closed it and sealed it to give them some privacy. She then returned and sat down on the medical bed next to Delaara.

"Ok, it's like this, Delaara. Up until 10 days ago, and please promise me you won't laugh." She looked meaningfully at Delaara, and Delaara smiled and nodded. "Well, I am 30 years old, and up until that first night with Steve, I was a virgin."

Delaara was stunned. Then she smiled and put her hand on the young doctor's shoulder. "Sweetie, I was 36 when I lost my virginity."

"Well, that's different, Delaara. You were what? 18 in Human age scale?"

"Not quite. We age faster when we're young, but once we hit the equivalent of 18, which is approximately 28 Human years, our aging slows considerably." Delaara shrugged.

"So that's the reason you still look like you're 25, even though you're 61?" Mae asked.

"Exactly. Jason already looks older than me, and he's so much younger." Delaara shrugged again.

"You're one hell of a hot cougar, Delaara," Mae said, winking and giggling.

Delaara laughed at the term for an older woman who was with a younger man. "Humans are so fascinating. Especially Jason," she said with a smile. "He learned to speak perfect Romulan for my Birthday, and surprised me by speaking it to me all that night as we made love."

"Delaara, if you ever let him go, I will personally brain you with this medbed. That is the most romantic thing I've ever heard!" Mae was wiping a tear from her face.

"Mae, if I were to ever let Jason go, it would be because I'm already dead. Nothing in this world will keep me from him as long as I live." Delaara was devoted completely, and Mae could see that. She smiled and hugged her Romulan friend.

"Well, then. Let's get you checked out!" Mae said with a smile as Delaara disrobed for her physical.

*****

Doc Tavolk walked in after his lunch with Tanya and noticed Delaara and Mae walking out of the examination room. He smiled and walked up to them. "Hello, Delaara. How'd the exam go?" He asked.

"Perfectly, Doc," she replied. "You're in a good mood today. What happened?"

"I've been in a good mood for a little over a week now, thanks to Lieutenant Commander Duran." He saw the shock on her face. "Well, you must already know that I'm pretty much an outcast among my people, and I find her fascinating as well as lovely."

"But she acts like a man trapped in a woman's body," said Delaara, confused.

"It's a facade, Delaara. I won't repeat what she's told me of her childhood, but suffice it to say that there is a good reason she does that to keep most people at bay." Doc was polite as usual, but his tone still conveyed the fact that there would be no more answers from him concerning Tanya Duran.

"Understood, Doc. I was just wondering at all the changes going on around here. I did not mean to offend," she said. "I apologize to you, Dr. Siln, and I will apologize to Tanya as soon as possible."

"No harm done, Commander," said Doc. "I know she can be.... off-putting, to say the least. But the more time I spend with her, the more of the real Tanya Duran I see."

"I understand, Doc. I'm glad you both are so happy now. Look at you two!" She grinned and hugged them both. Doc smiled in spite of himself and Mae was just radiant.

"Ok, you two have fun, and I'll see you later!" She turned and left with a bounce to her step. Love was in the atmospheric scrubbers!

*****

Jason stepped into the Security Office and found Tanya at her desk. She looked up. "Hey, Commander. What can I do for ya?"

"Hey, Tanya. I was wondering if you happened to still have that Klingon disruptor pistol we took off that pilot last year?" He asked.

"Give me a sec, sweetie," she said in a much more feminine voice. Jason blinked three times rapidly.

She noticed his surprise. "Tanya, are you seeing someone?" Jason asked, knowing that something was up with her.

She turned from the confiscated weapons locker and grinned. "As a matter of fact, I've been keeping Doc company lately. He's a damn fine man!"

"I won't argue with you on that, Tanya. He's the best damn Doctor in Starfleet, as far as I'm concerned. I have to ask how you two got together, though." Jason was still a bit confused.

"Well, for the first part, he doesn't judge me." She said pointedly.

"Tanya, I'm sorry about that. I've learned lately that we shouldn't judge anyone based on how they dress, act, or anything like that. I wish I'd gotten to know you better before I jumped to conclusions about you." Jason was contrite to the point where his stomach was turning flipflops.

She laughed. "Hon, if I had an apology for everyone who couldn't see the real me beneath that facade, I would be hearing them for the rest of my life." She sat down on the edge of her desk and took his hand. "Jason, I know about your parents, and I know the facade you wore until you got back from Earth with Delaara in tow. I noticed the difference in you immediately, because I had a facade on for so long, I was good at spotting it on others."

"Before I met Delaara, my main goal in life was to die in combat against a worthy enemy." Jason smiled ruefully. "Then I met the most worthy enemy in the galaxy, and fell in love with her."

"You know, I've never heard the whole story about how you two fell in love," she said, all signs of her facade were gone.

Jason smiled. "Well, it all started with the dogfight over NZ8-257...."

As he related the story, she sat in rapt attention to his words. He ended it with them being found by the Enterprise Away Team after they had just fallen asleep together after making love.

"So then she defected and I was assigned to be her liaison for defection to the Federation. After all was said and done, she was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander in Starfleet Fighter Command, and the rest is history." He finished with a smile.

Tanya was wiping tears from her eyes. "Jason, that was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard."

"I keep thinking about how if I'd been a jerk instead of saving her life when her ship was sinking, and I can't see myself doing anything different." He shrugged.

Tanya got up from where she leaned against her desk and hugged him. "It's because you knew, even then, that she was your soulmate, Jay."

"I'll believe that, because I felt compelled to save her life, even if it was just to shoot it out on the beach and die honorably." Jason chuckled. "I'm sure as hell glad it didn't come to that, though."

"So am I, and as to your request, I seem to have found that Klingon disruptor pistol you requested. Are you going to check it out?" She asked.

"Well, I already learned Romulan for Delaara's birthday last week, but I was thinking of putting in paperwork to confiscate it as a spoil of war, for her Christmas present next week," he said with a grin.

"I know she likes guns, since she was talking to me the other day about certain weapons.... and you learned ROMULAN... for her BIRTHDAY?" Tanya's jaw had nearly hit the deck.

"Yeah, it took me about six months." Jason confirmed.

"Say something to me in Romulan", she said. "Wait, hold on." She took her combadge off and shut down the universal translator. "Ok, lay it on me."

"I hope you and your doctor are always happy together," he said in Romulan.

"I don't know what you just said, but I want to jump your bones right now," she grinned. "That has to be the most beautiful language I've ever heard!"

Jason grinned. "I said 'I hope you and your doctor are always happy together', just so you know."

"Aww, thanks, hon. I think we will be. I plan on marrying that handsome devil when or if he ever pops the question." She was blushing now.

"Tanya, if you talk to him about marriage, if he doesn't bring it up first, that is, wait about six months into the relationship. Not everyone knows right then." Jason advised her.

"Good advice, sir. Anyhow, as to this spoil of war, it's yours as far as I'm concerned." She shrugged and handed him the pistol, butt end first.

"Thanks, Tanya. You're a sweetheart, you know that?"

"Anytime, flyboy. You know I used to have a huge crush on you when you first came aboard?" Tanya grinned.

"Tanya, if I had known the real you back then, I would have gone out with you in a heartbeat." He said and meant it.

She hugged him close and kissed him softly. "In another life, flyboy," she whispered.

Jason just smiled and said "In another life, Tanya. Doc is lucky to have you."

They said their see ya laters and Jason left. He managed to avoid Delaara long enough to hide her Christmas present in his sock drawer at the very back.

She entered their quarters just as he was getting out of the sonic shower. He towelled off and heard the rush of their door opening. He walked out with his towel around his waist and saw her looking at him smiling.

"Baby, we have to talk about something!" She was grinning ear to ear.

"What is it, honey?" Jason asked.

Delaara told him. "We were so wrong about Mae."

"How so?" He asked.

"She's not a psycho, she was just frustrated and extremely shy. Spar got her squared away, if you know what I mean." She winked.

Jason grinned. "Well, I have some news about Tanya, too. Her tough guy act? It was all for show to keep guys at bay. I had a talk with her earlier in the Security office."

Delaara chuckled. "Yeah, Doc has been keeping her company."

"Oh, that reminds me. How did your physical go, sweetheart?" Jason asked.

"Well, I'm not pregnant yet," she said with a disappointed shrug. "From what Mae told me during the physical, it might be hard for us to conceive. But other than that, I'm in perfect health." She smiled.

"Good! Next week is Christmas. We didn't have much chance to celebrate it last year or the year before, but this time we should be able to." Jason loved Christmas, and wanted to share it with his wife.

Delaara had heard of the joint secular and religious holiday. She had read the Bible and Koran, as well as other religious teachings from Earth. She was a big fan of both Buddha and Confucius. She knew that Jason was spiritual to a point, but didn't take any religion too seriously. But he still loved Christmas.

"You know that it coincides with a Romulan holiday, don't you?" Delaara admitted.

Jason was caught offguard. "Which one?"

"Liberation Day, when Romulus was first discovered and colonized by my ancestors." She was referring to the Vulcans who had left Vulcan under the Banner of the Raptor. They had refused to follow the path of logic to the extent that all emotion must be suppressed. They were the first Romulans.

"Do you celebrate with the exchanging of gifts, baby?" He asked hopefully.

"As a matter of fact, we do. Also, it's the only time of year that, in time of peace, all family members usually get together. I would love for you to meet my aunts, uncles, and cousins, baby!" She said with a grin.

"Then it's settled. We're doing Christmas on Romulus this year, honey. Unless you object?" He winked and chuckled. "Oh, we also have a greeting for the holiday where we say 'Merry Christmas'. Do Romulans have a similar greeting for Liberation Day?"

"Have a festive Liberation Day." She replied. "That's the most common." He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her lovingly.

"I can't wait to meet your extended family, sweetheart," he said as they broke the kiss.

"Neither can I, love!" Delaara was giddy with joy.

-------------------------------------------------

Challenge of Honor

The rest of their stay on Risa was pleasant. Rachael and Rash had enjoyed their stay greatly, and were more than prepared for the rest of the pregnancy. By the time they got back aboard, Rachael was so relaxed, she was smiling as she sat in her command chair and took the comm from Starfleet.

"Rachael, you look relaxed," said a smiling Admiral Nelson.

"A week on Risa with the man I love has that effect on me, Nick. What can we do for you?" Rachael asked her oldest friend.